I was at Harris Teeter the other day and caught this little delighter – pre-measured spice packs combined with recipes. I wished this was around when I was in college, I would have saved myself tons of bland meals because I was too cheap to buy all the spices I needed. Aside from actually solving for a problem that exists, what I love about it is that it probably didn’t cost a fortune to develop. It simply re-proportions existing products. It reminds me of a marketing trend of packaging smaller portions of goods to bring down the price so that consumers in developing countries can afford them.

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I realize that this is technically not a “delighter” per se, but the solution itself sure delighted me anyway!

I saw this lovely sign over in the Green Parking lot in Uptown Charlotte the other day and I couldn’t help but smile. It was an unexpected yet ever-so-helpful delighter designed to help me remember where I parked.

Sometimes I’ll type a quick note in my phone to remind me where the car is. Or, in especially confusing lots like the Long Term lots at the airport, I’ll even GPS-tag the location. But when you’re in a hurry, nothing beats a simple picture with a caption, “It takes two to tango” to burn the image in my head.

Besides helping me find my car, this sign also reminded me of two NY Times articles I had seen recently:

Of course, in the spirit of planning for unintended consequences, an article about the sad possibility of losing your navigational prowess when of adapting a common technology like GPS into one’s everyday life.

I’m off traveling for a week, so I wanted to take this opportunity to revisit three “timeless” posts on broader innovation topics. The second is about recognizing clever “delighters” and why something so little can actually mean quite a lot.

I’m always on the lookout for delighters, which are unexpected little features you find in products and service that can really make your day. They’re generally not widely advertised (ie “fastest processor in this price range of laptops!”) but are left to be discovered by a user who then goes on to spread the love and create buzz around the product (hence this blog post.)

I visited Lowes Foods for the first time to grab a quick sandwich, and I was delightfully surprised to find this handy bag, saving the typical deciphering of a deli counter that’s new to you: understanding the protocols, what’s available and at what price. I checked off the boxes for the different ingredients I wanted. Contrast this with the self-serve touchscreen at Jason’s Deli (or Wawa, for those from the northern part of the country.) It reminds us that sometimes a good solution for 80% of the population can be simple, low-tech, and inexpensive. AND it can help you carry your lunch.

I drove by another interesting little delighter today on MLK Blvd. With progress continuing on the new Nascar Hall of Fame, I was tickled by the crosswalk pattern surrounding the building. It is one of those clever little ideas that really brings the whole concept together, and this simple design will definitely help future guests remember their visit.

Actually, this story from That’s Racin’ notes that the checkerboard pattern is not painted, but rather created from plastic tiles. I’ll have to see how it compares to the rubber sidewalk in Plaza Midwood!

I’m always on the lookout for delighters, which are unexpected little features you find in products and service that can really make your day. They’re generally not widely advertised (ie “fastest processor in this price range of laptops!”) but are left to be discovered by a user who then goes on to spread the love and create buzz around the product (hence this blog post.)

I visited Lowes Foods for the first time to grab a quick sandwich, and I was delightfully surprised to find this handy bag, saving the typical deciphering of a deli counter that’s new to you: understanding the protocols, what’s available and at what price. I checked off the boxes for the different ingredients I wanted. Contrast this with the self-serve touchscreen at Jason’s Deli (or Wawa, for those from the northern part of the country.) It reminds us that sometimes a good solution for 80% of the population can be simple, low-tech, and inexpensive. AND it can help you carry your lunch.